The U.N. Estimates that 27 million people are enslaved worldwide- more than any other time in history. 80% of victims are female, and 50% are children. (1)

Females are typically sold for the purpose of sex. Domestic victims report being forced to service as many as 10 men per day on average. International victims report as many as 40 per day. (2)

In 2003, Minneapolis, Minnesota was identified by the FBI as one of 13 cities with a large concentration of child prostitution enterprises. (3)

When asked, 89% of women and girls used in prostitution wanted to get out but didn’t know where to turn for help. (4)

Sex trafficked women suffer a “workplace homicide rate” 51 times higher than that of the next most dangerous occupation, working in a liquor store. (5)

In 2010, the online sales of minor girls being sold for sex in MN increased by 55% over a six month period. (6)

By very conservative measures, a November 2010 study found that each month in Minnesota at least 213 underage girls are sold for sex an average of five times per day through the Internet and escort services. This number does not include hotel, street or gang activity. (7)

About 50% of adult women interviewed as part of a 2010 study focused on North Minneapolis stated that they first traded sex when they were under the age of 18, with the average age at 13. (7)

75% of girls who are entangled in prostitution networks are controlled by a sex trafficker or “pimp.”(8)

The average age of entry into prostitution by minors is 12-14 years of age (9)

The Polaris Project conservatively estimates that a pimp with a “stable” of three girls or women often enforces an average nightly quota of $500, or $1,500 a night. If these quotas are met consistently, the pimp can make as much as $547,000 (or more) in a year ($1,500 a night x 365 nights a year = $547,500). (9)

Breaking Free was established in October 1996, by Vednita Carter, Founder and Executive Director, as a non-profit organization serving women and girls involved in systems of abuse, exploitation, and prostitution/sex trafficking.